On Thursday, after bidding Edward and Richard farewell, we were driven by Laura-Leigh to the SLC airport. Our flight left at about midnight and arrived at JFK in New York City at about 6 am. We had a 10-hour layover there. So we decided to see what we could of NYC. We took the Air Train from the airport to Jamaica Station where we caught the “E” subway train. We were the only Caucasians in our car, at least. We got off at Penn Station and 34th St. It was a short walk to the Empire State Building where we rode the elevator to the Observatory on the 86th floor. It was very interesting to look around at so many buildings and other landmarks with which we’ve become familiar over the years. After a quick breakfast we walked along Broadway towards Times Square as I thought I recalled that the Manhattan Temple was somewhere up there. As we were unable to locate it we decided to ask around and discovered that it was farther up north near the southwest corner of Central Park. We finally found it and sought refuge for a brief while in the lobby, not having enough time to attend a session. There were impressive stained-glass depictions of Christ and some apostles in the lobby, and a peaceful relief from the hustle and bustle just a few feet away, outside.

We returned by subway to the airport and waited for our flight. Susan had begun to feel uneasy in her stomach, which feeling lasted until we arrived in Ukraine. At the gate of our departure we were two of only a few non-native Ukrainians. We observed that the Ukrainians were a handsome people.

Our flight departed at about 4:20 pm and arrived in Kiev about 10-1/2 hours later at 9:15 am (Kiev time). Surprisingly, we were both much more comfortable on that flight than with the much shorter flight to NYC. In total I got about an hour’s sleep over the two flights. I usually fall asleep while the plane is taxiing and during takeoff and did so for each flight this time. I enjoyed looking out the window at Iceland, Norway, Sweden, Latvia, Lithuania, Belarus and Ukraine. Southern Norway was covered with snow, except in the valleys where the populated areas were. I saw virtually no snow in southern Sweden, which surprised me; nor did I see any in the other countries following it. After our passport and Customs checks we were met by Vladimir (our facilitator) and Natalie (our translator), who gave Susan three long-stemmed yellow roses. We were driven across Kiev to our apartment and were introduced to the sights along the way.

After a couple of hours to get set up and rest, we were taken by Vladimir and Natalie for a walking tour of the area around here. We met Vladimir’s wife, Valerie and went to lunch at a Ukrainian restaurant. We had borsch, fried potatoes, beet salad, dumplings and other similarly delicious items -- all very good!

Our apartment is around the corner from Independence Square, where tens of thousands of people (mostly men) were gathering to demonstrate against the current government and parliament, including broken promises and an inflation-soured economy. At one time we inadvertently fell in line with the flag- and banner-bearing throngs.

We visited St.Michael’s Cathedral which is very near to our apartment (Archangel Michael is the patron saint of Kiev). We climbed to the top of the belfry where the bell ringers were engaged in an intensifying clamor to announce the emergence of the bishop and his eventual entry into the cathedral to conduct a special mass in conjunction with Willow Sunday the next day. This is equivalent to Palm Sunday but, of course, there are no palms here; so they bring bouquets of pussy willows to the churches to celebrate. Vendors strewn along the roads to the numerous cathedrals sell the willows to passers-by.

Having missed two nights’ sleep, Susan and I adjusted right away to the clocks here; i.e., no jet lag.

We were told that Toli (our youngest son here) was recently moved to another orphanage about 50 km from Sumy. It is a new orphanage whose patron is the son of the current Ukraine President. In order to populate it, about 25 children from the Sumy orphanage and many from others were selected and sent there. Vladimir will attempt to have him returned to the Sumy orphanage soon so we don’t have to shuttle between the two.

We have our appointment with the State Adoption Agency on Tuesday at 5 pm, after which we will be driven to Sumy, about 375 kilometers away. We should see the children on Wednesday morning and remain in Sumy until we receive the court decree making them our children in a few weeks.

Today we went to where the Church usually meets at the usual meeting time, not knowing what arrangements would be made regarding General Conference. We discovered after arriving there that a Saturday session of conference would be viewed there at 3 pm. Another couple not associated with the Save a Child foundation was there for the same reasons we were. They are from Grantsville and are adopting one or two children. We spent the next several hours with them and their facilitator touring some of Kiev, including the War Museum, which was an impressive display of Ukraine’s “Patriotic War” with Germany in the early 1940s. Above the museum is a statue of their Lady Liberty that is a little taller than ours in New York. It was a heart-wrenching exposure to the destruction and genocide of the time as Ukraine was the western front of that war. Much of Kiev was destroyed; but it has been nicely rebuilt. Interestingly, there are still some Soviet-era buildings around, clearly Soviet because of their size (huge), their shape (blocked and flat) their color (grey) and material (cement) – all very dull - all emblematic of power. In addition to walking we rode the subway today, to get to which we rode a series of rapid escalators down what was certainly well over 200 feet below the initial entry. This is due to the hilly nature of this side of Kiev – or the Dnipro River. The Germans occupied the hilly side of the river in contrast to the opposite flat side of the river which served to their advantage in its defense. Nevertheless, the Ukrainians ultimately prevailed and regained the city and the nation.